How do you plan borders in front of hedges?

[MrsJamin]

I've got hedging all round my East facing back garden and quite a long hedge in the front garden too, which is essentially south facing. What's a good rule of thumb of what to put in a border in front of a hedge? Currently it's just lawn up to the hedge, it needs more seasonal interest. Does a border in front of a hedge need as many shrubs as people say you need in a border against a fence, as it has a dark green backdrop already? Can I get away with taller spindly perennials and grasses and have a shallower border than the suggested 2 metres (I've read). Or does it need more oomph from shrubs, still? I can't seem to find many online pictures of borders in front of hedges to determine what works well.

Hedges really suck the moisture out of the soil. What type of hedge is it?
Leyllandi hedges are the most difficult. Plants that do best in this position are ones that do well in dry conditions.
My next door neighbour has a Leyllandi hedge, so on our side there are sedums, weigelia, montbrtia, crainsbill geraniums and the odd rose. The larger plants do bend away from the hedge.

Remember to plan for hedge trimming... it can be a real pain trying not to trample plants in the process of trimming and removing clippings.

If you have the space, I'd lay a maintenance path in between the hedge and flower bed (bark mulch would be probably be most unobtrusive, or you could use gravel, paving slabs, etc...).

Once the bed is planted up and established, the path gap will be barely noticeable. You'll also notice less competition for light and moisture.

P.s. as far as planting is concerned, I think it's down to personal preference... my own borders are mostly herbaceous with a few roses thrown in, as I'm simply not that keen on shrubs (and I personally see no point in 'double layering' shrubs if you already have a hedge for the backdrop...).

If you have the space, I'd lay a maintenance path in between the hedge and flower bed (bark mulch would be probably be most unobtrusive, or you could use gravel, paving slabs, etc...). This! Our biggest design mistake was not to have a maintenance path between pond and hedge

It is a mix between leylandii, laurel and privet. That's going to be really annoying if I can't plant anything there, I've just moved from a house with a garden where there were massive trees in neighbours' gardens which took all of the nutrients and moisture out of the soil and nothing grew well.

Can you design beds that are away from the hedges?

Fear not, it isn't impossible... it's just a little trickier with root proximity. Try digging in lots of organic matter... well rotted manure etc, then mulch as necessary. I'd definitely recommend the maintenance path option, given the hedge you're working with, if only to distance from the roots a little more.